Navy vet Tim Credeur "honored" to fight for the troops

All but 30 public spectators in attendance for the UFC’s first ever “Fight for the Troops” will be enlisted military personnel stationed at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C. While these men and women are currently in the service of their country, several of the nights combatants can relate to the crowd they’ll be entertaining through their own personal military experience.

Wednesday’s card, which features five fighters with previous military service to their credit, airs live on Spike TV and is designed to benefit the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund for soldiers that have suffered traumatic brain injuries or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

“The Ultimate Fighter 7″ semifinalist and ex-Naval officer Tim Credeur recently talked with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) about his training, his opponent, and why being on the fight card for
this event was so important to him as a previous member of the U.S.
military.

* * * * *MMAjunkie.com: How are you feeling heading into this bout? Did you make any changes to your training camp for this fight?

Tim Credeur: Yeah, I feel great. No injuries to speak of, so it’s been a good camp. I’m really more anxious than anything. I really want to get in there and scrap. I love fighting, and I’ve been training hard and doing a lot of tough sparring with my training partner, Rich Clementi, most of which is done with the little gloves. We train extremely hard and as close to the real thing as possible.

MMAjunkie.com: You’re coming off an impressive first-round knockout of fellow “TUF” veteran Cale Yarbrough — a knockout you said people shouldn’t have been so surprised with. What is it about your standup game that people need to be wary of?

Tim Credeur: Well, I’ll always be a guy known mostly for my jiu jitsu, but I love boxing and I’ve been working hard at improving my striking for a long time now. None of [Nate Loughran’s] fights have gone the distance, so I’m not sure he’s ready to go for an extended amount of time. I’m ready to bang with him for 15 minutes if I have to. That’s something I don’t think he’s going to be ready for, mostly because he’s never had to do it.

MMAjunkie.com: Nate Loughran is also primarily considered a jiu-jitsu specialist with a small measure of standup ability. Do you think he’ll try to take you down and turn it into a technical battle?

Tim Credeur: Nate is going to be a tough opponent, and I’ve always been a big fan of his instructor David Terrell. Do I think he’s going to try and take me down? I think so. He’s got nine wins, eight of them by submission. So to say he’s probably going to try and take me down is a fair assessment, but I’ve been working all aspects of my game — specifically on my take down defense. It’s definitely not going to be that easy for him.

MMAjunkie.com: So we should expect to see a good amount of stand-up striking?

Tim Credeur: Like I said, I have no problem standing up. Even though I’m known as a jiu-jitsu fighter, I’d rather stand and bang. I’ll do it from horn to horn if I have to. I’m prepared and conditioned for that 100 percent. If that’s the way the fight goes, I’m ready. He knows about my jiu-jitsu game, but he’s completely crazy if he thinks I’m not going to come out swinging and trying to end it early.

MMAjunkie.com: You recently opened your own gym, Gladiator’s Academy of Lafayette, La. How has that affected your training?

Tim Credeur: Well I don’t teach many classes. I usually stick to just training, especially with this fight coming up. But I will do a kids class here and there. South Louisiana is known for its tough surroundings and tough fighters. The gym is a good place for the kids and teens in the area to channel that energy into something constructive and keep them out of trouble. They needed a place like this, and I try and get involved in those instances.

MMAjunkie.com: The UFC’s first ever “Fight for the Troops” is a not only a great fight card but it’s all done for a really great cause. Do you feel your military background made you want to take part in this card more than someone without any history of military service?

Tim Credeur: I remember I was at UFC Fight Night 15 in Omaha, and I got a chance to speak with (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva. I told him I was ready to go again as soon as possible and if I could, I’d like to fight at the Fight for the Troops show. I was in the Navy, so to be involved in a show that will raise funds for the men and women who have been wounded while fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan is a real honor for me. Regardless of your personal feelings about the war and its politics, it doesn’t change the fact that there are men and women — American men and women — being shot at thousands of miles away from their homes and families. This cause helps rebuild those soldiers who pay the heavy toll that comes with a country at war. I’m extremely proud of the UFC for doing this.

MMAjunkie.com: Your UFC debut bout was supposed to take place during the The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale show, but to your surprise the Nevada State Athletic Commission postponed your fight after you tested positive for a banned substance. You informed them prior to the drug test that you were taking a prescription medication for attention deficit disorder. Why did they still postpone your fight?

Tim Credeur: I don’t really understand it myself. I didn’t even know the medication had a stimulant in it until the commission told me I popped positive. The medication I take is the lowest dosage available of prescription Adderall. I had the prescription to show them, and I told them I was taking the medication before they even tested me. But they still postponed the fight. Looking back I think it was more for safety reasons that the fight was postponed. I felt bad because I really wanted to fight, and I felt even worse for doing that to Cale. I learned my lesson though and stopped taking it a lot earlier this time.

MMAjunkie.com: You’ve said your goal is to aggravate your opponent as much as possible. How do you go about doing that?

Tim Credeur: By making them as uncomfortable as possible, doing what I can to take them out of their game. I think I’ve been able to do that with everyone I’ve fought previously. I was able to do it with C.B. (Dollaway) and Jesse (Taylor). With Cale, I didn’t really get a chance to because the fight ended so quick. I think he was preparing for me to try and take him into the deep water and submit him, not stand and trade punches with him. I guess you could say I aggravated him too.

Gary Ibarra is a freelance MMA writer and owner of Graffight Apparel, which sponsors Credeur.

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